Mar 21, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (28) is congratulated in the Yankees dugout after hitting a three run homer against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Spring Training-Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
(New York, NY) — As the MLB regular season inches closer, the New York Yankees continue to wrinkle out all of their offseason kinks.
Luis Severino and Josh Donaldson both had notable outings after struggling immensely through spring so far. Severino came into this game with an ERA over 10, but bounced back on Tuesday with an impressive performance.
The 29-year-old struggled out of the gate surrendering a home run to Kerry Carpenter, followed by a hard base knock. Sevy would go on to give up two runs in the first frame but buckled down and was dominant from that point on.
The veteran right hander went on to strike out nine over four innings (74 pitches) in a Yankees 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. It’s an encouraging sign for the Yankees, who desperately need Severino to excel with a shorthanded rotation to begin the season.
Another Yankee in dire need of a bounce back season is third baseman Josh Donaldson. After a disastrous 2022 campaign and a slow spring, the 37-year-old has recently used a tweaked stance in attempt to simply his approach.
On Tuesday, Aaron Boone said he noticed Donaldson’s adjustments during his first round of batting practice and told him, “That’s it, right there.”
Boone and Donaldson declined to get into the specifics of what the former MVP was doing differently, but a scout at the game noted there was less of a leg kick.
It resulted in a homer to left-center off a 94 mph Spencer Turnbull sinker in the bottom of the fourth and another shot out to left-center two innings later, this time off a 95 mph fastball from Will Vest.
While Yankee fans should take the performance with grain of salt, Donaldson would provide the team with a much needed middle of the order thump, if he could resurrect his career in 2023.
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